The present invention relates generally to fuel tanks for vehicles and, more particularly to a heated fuel strainer assembly for a fuel tank of a vehicle.
It is known to provide a fuel tank for a fuel system in a vehicle to hold fuel to be used by an engine of the vehicle. In some vehicles, a fuel strainer is provided to filter a certain degree of contaminants in the fuel. These strainers are constructed from either a woven or non-woven media and their particle retention level ranges from approximately thirty (30) microns to approximately three hundred (300) microns. The contaminants range in the form of dirt and metal particles, water, and air (vapor). Typically, the fuel strainer is located at a bottom of the fuel tank and attached to an inlet of a fuel pump to filter the contaminants from the fuel before the fuel enters the fuel pump.
For diesel fuel systems, there is always a compromise between strainer filtration efficiency and cold weather performance. A strainer should be fine mesh in order to prevent- particulate contamination from entering the fuel pump and damaging the fuel pump or causing accelerated wear. However, as the temperature drops, diesel fuel forms a wax, making it more difficult to pass through a strainer and reducing the output flow of the fuel pump. As a result, the fuel strainer becomes restrictive and may eventually even plug up. When this happens, the fuel pump cannot pull enough fuel through the media of the fuel strainer, causing drivability issues for the vehicle.
To lessen this effect, strainers for diesel systems are typically made of a larger mesh. This allows more wax to pass therethrough, but reduces the filtration efficiency of the strainer, allowing larger particulate contaminants to pass into the fuel pump, potentially causing more pump damage and wear. One attempt to reduce them restriction of the fuel strainer is by adding fuel heaters in separate stand-alone filters or valve bodies. However, this adds components and unnecessary complexity to the fuel system.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a fuel strainer for a fuel tank in a vehicle that has a heater to heat the strainer to strain fuel. It is also desirable to provide a fuel strainer for a fuel tank in a vehicle that has the ability to heat the strainer without adding additional components or increasing the overall length or width of the fuel strainer. It is further desirable to provide a fuel strainer for a fuel tank in a vehicle that acts as a heating element to reduce wax build-up in diesel fuels that reduces restriction of the fuel strainer.
It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a heated fuel strainer assembly for a fuel tank in a vehicle.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a heated fuel strainer assembly for a fuel tank in a vehicle that prevents wax build-up of diesel fuel, reducing fuel strainer restriction and allowing the fuel strainer to strain fuel during cold operating conditions.
To achieve the foregoing objects, the present invention is a heated fuel strainer assembly for a fuel tank in a vehicle including a strainer made of a metal material and adapted to be connected to an inlet of a fuel pump disposed in the fuel tank. The heated fuel strainer assembly also includes a power source connected to the strainer to supply power to the strainer to heat the strainer and allow fuel to flow through the strainer to the inlet.
One advantage of the present invention is that a heated fuel strainer assembly is provided for a fuel tank in a vehicle. Another advantage of the present invention is that the heated fuel strainer assembly retains improved filtration of the fine mesh strainer and still prevents wax from plugging up the strainer. Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the heated fuel strainer assembly has the ability to heat the strainer without adding additional components and without increasing the overall length or width of the fuel strainer.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood, after reading the subsequent description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.